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at Galle ; the contents and biology of the tropical waters 

 of the Near and Middle East are scientifically almost 

 unexplored ; we know almost nothing of marine zoology 

 in its many living aspects as apart from mere descriptive 

 and classificatory work. Apart from the aid which 

 science may and does give to practical work, there ought 

 to be in this great country, the very centre of the tropical 

 East, a central station, where the marine fisheries staft 

 and where savants and students of marine biology can 

 study marine life, both fauna and flora, not as mere 

 museum specimens but as living organisms. Moreover, 

 savants from Europe, e.^., from Oxford, frequently desire 

 material for biological research, which, for lack of a 

 supplying agency, they are unable to procure. I need 

 not, however, dwell on this point, since it will obviously be 

 admitted ; it is rather a question of finance and location. 

 5. Educational. — There can be no two opinions as 

 to the need for such a station as an aid and adjunct to 

 education in natural history. As pointed out by 

 Mr. Hornell, and by Professor Powell of Bombay in the 

 appended extract from the Madras Mail, biological 

 students must, in the absence of specimens, even dead 

 ones, be mere text-book men, who may have committed 

 to memory printeci descriptions and facts gathered by 

 scientists but who have no first-hand acquaintance with 

 the organisms they describe ; they have never seen or 

 handled a cray fish but can quote Huxley verbatim ; they 

 have not studied science but only the literature of 

 science. Consequently educationists all over the 

 country are demanding sets of specimens for their 

 students to handle and examine ; Mr. Hornell has been 

 asked by various educationists, e.s^., the Victoria College 

 at Palghat, for sets of specimens which he is, of course, 

 unable to supply ; the Acting Director of Public Instruc- 

 tion considers that sets of properly preserved specimens 

 of marine fauna would be of great benefit to college and 

 school museums. This duty of providing properly 

 arranged series of fauna for educational purposes is very 

 thoroughly carried out by the Fisheries Department of 

 the United States of America and to a great extent 

 by biological stations in other countries. A fortiori, a 

 marine station where college students can study, as 

 living organisms, the fauna and flora which their text- 

 books describe, can observe, handle, and dissect them, 



